Photograph by: Dave Sidaway
, The Gazette

There’s pleasure, too, in a weekend afternoon or quiet evening spent in the kitchen, far from the madding mall crowd.

Here are a few ideas for edible offerings, sweet and savoury, to give as presents for friends who love to eat, cook and be merry.

The beauty is in using the finest-quality ingredients, but also in wrapping it all up with style. Package homemade gifts in colourful tins or small reusable jars and bottles with spring closures and rubber gaskets, or on vintage plates or platters. Kitchen stores stock good-looking canning jars from Italy, France and Germany. But ordinary, inexpensive 125-ml or 250-ml Mason or Bernardin jars are nice, too. Restaurant supply stores also stock small scoops and spoons and inexpensive glass and porcelain bowls and plates. Design and create your own labels online at www.jamlabelizer.com. Or buy letter stencils or simple stickers or tags. The dollar store stocks basic supplies. Williams-Sonoma in Carrefour Laval carries fancier label-making kits.

Clear cellophane bags and windowed candy boxes come in different sizes at bakers’ supply stores such as Rose Blanche (at 665 First Ave. in Lachine) or the baking section at the Ares Kitchen and Baking Supplies stores (see www.arescuisine.com for addresses) or at the Stark & Whyte kitchen store at Quartier DIX30 in Brossard. Tie it all up with plain white kitchen twine, rougher-textured jute or more decorative grosgrain or satin ribbon from the fabric store.

You can make and package these edible gifts at home without too much fuss. Give them on their own as hostess gifts or pair them with an accessory or two for a more substantial offering.

1. Rosemary Balsamic Glaze & Chili Oil

Together or on their own, these are nice for drizzling over roasted vegetables, on grilled fish or chicken.

Balsamic Glaze

In a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 6 cups balsamic vinegar (an inexpensive supermarket brand is fine), 4 tablespoons brown sugar and 8 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until glaze is syrupy and thick enough to coat a spoon. (Don’t cook too much, though, as the glaze thickens further as it cools. You should have roughly half as much as you started with.) Remove from heat and allow to cool before transferring to bottles or jars.

Chili Oil

Heat 2 cups extra virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan until hot but not smoking. Using your hands, crumble three or four whole dried red chili peppers into it, or add a teaspoon or two of chili pepper flakes. (Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterward.) Remove from heat and let stand until cool. Using a funnel, transfer the oil, along with the chili pepper flakes, to clean, dry bottles with tight-fitting corks. Store in a cool, dark place, allowing at least several days for flavours to develop.

Packaging: Label the bottles and present them in a wine bag or wrapped up in a linen dishcloth along with a pair of wooden salad servers.

2. Luxury Granola

Store-bought granola always seems to taste the same. But homemade can be anything you want it to be.

I’ve fiddled with the recipe for Luxury Granola from Leon Baking & Desserts by Claire Ptak and Henry Dimbleby and come up with this one, which is not-too-sweet, but chock full of yummy ingredients. It makes about 10 cups.

Heat oven to 300 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss together 8 cups rolled oats, 1½ cups shelled walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans (or a combination) and ½ cup hulled unsalted sunflower seeds. In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup honey and ¾ cup maple syrup, 1/3 cup sunflower oil and ¼ cup of water. Stir, over medium heat, for several minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt. Pour over the oat mixture and stir well to completely coat. Spread out the mixture in a thin layer on the two baking sheets and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the granola is crisp, dry and slightly coloured. Remove from oven, stir in 1 cup large-flake unsweetened dried coconut and return to oven for another 10 minutes, or until the coconut is lightly golded in colour.

Packaging: Scoop the granola into clear cellophane bags or clean air-tight jars, each with a wooden or metal scoop inside. Pair with a set of vintage cereal bowls.

3. Spice blends

Homemade mixes are always fresher and brighter-flavoured than ready-made. And they are additive free. Here are a few of my favourites, all of which can easily be made in larger batches:

Salamoia Bolognese. An Italian seasoning created by preserving rosemary and sage in sea salt. Simply combine ¼ cup each of very finely chopped fresh rosemary and fresh sage leaves with 1 cup fine sea salt and spread out on a large platter or baking sheet to dry for several days. Toss and store in an air tight container.

Cinnamon sugar. For sprinkling on toast or over cappuccino in the morning, or into apple pie filling. Couldn’t be simpler: combine equal parts ground cinnamon and granulated organic pure cane sugar.

Packaging: Transfer each spice blend into small 125-ml Mason jars, label and offer as a set of three or four, with tiny wood, porcelain or mother-of-pearl condiment spoons and miniature bowls (La Dépense, the spice store at Jean Talon Market has them, so does Crate & Barrel at Carrefour Laval).

4. Chai Tea Time

Starbucks didn’t invent chai latte. Masala chai, as it’s known in India, is an old-fashioned drink. Here’s a nicely balanced masala chai blend that an old friend from Bombay once shared with me.

Packaging: Divide chai blend into small stainless steel spice canisters, glass jars or individual looseleaf tea bags (available from tea shops and organic grocers). Include a set of small decorative cups or glasses (available at Indian grocers or at Middle Eastern or Iranian stores) and a recipe card with these serving instructions:

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 tablespoon chai tea blend with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, then add 1 cup whole milk and simmer just until heated through. Add more sugar if desired.

5. Old-school Lemon Pie Kit

Homemade lemon curd is really easy to make. It’s delicious on toast or with fresh fruit, but is most at home in a classic lemon meringue pie.

Here’s a recipe from Anna Olson’s Back to Baking (Whitecap 2011). It makes about 1¼ cups, enough for one pie.

Lemon Curd

2/3 cup sugar

½ cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

2 egg yolks

1 egg

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Whisk the sugar, lemon juice and zest, egg yolks and whole egg together in a metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and gently whisk the mixture by hand until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain into another bowl. Whisk in butter until it melts completely, then transfer to jars and chill. Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Packaging: label jars and keep refrigerated until ready to give. Package with a vintage pie plate (or a new one) along with a pie server or pot holder. Don’t forget to include a reminder to keep the curd refrigerated — and a recipe for lemon meringue pie. You can print this one from Canadian Living magazine:

Baked brie or Camembert cheese is a meltingly delicious appetizer. There are kits sold commercially, but this one is proudly homemade. A sweet and fruity topping of nuts and dried fruit is offered alongside a round of brie or Camembert cheese, ready to be assembled right in its wooden box and popped into the oven. A great hostess gift when you’ve offered to bring an appetizer.

Anouk Achim at Yannick Fromagerie in the Marché de l’Ouest recommends a small round of pasteurized French Ermitage Mini brie or an even more luxurious raw-milk Camembert D’Isigny.

To make cranberry and pistachio topping: Combine ½ cup dried sweetened cranberries and ½ cup chopped pistachios with 2 tablespoons maple sugar and the finely-grated zest of half a small orange. Store in an airtight container.

Packaging: At the last minute, assemble a gift package that includes a round of brie or Camembert in its wooden box, a jar of cranberry-nut topping and a small ovenproof terra cotta dish. You can also add a wooden board and a set of cheese spreaders. Include a card with these directions:

Keep cheese refrigerated until about 20 minutes before ready to use. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the wrapping and make deep slashes in the top of the cheese, then stuff with the fruit-nut mixture (You will have enough left for another serving.) Return the cheese to its wooden box, set on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until warm and melted, but not too runny. Serve immediately with slices of fresh baguette.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.